If you are looking to create your own wedding dress with the assistance of a dressmaker, read here a recent experience from Candice Taylor a bride from Melbourne, Australia.
Researching a Wedding Dress
When I was organising my wedding, I had done a lot of research looking at pictures of wedding gowns, trying to work out which silhouette and style would actually suit my figure. I was also trying to work out what my unique style actually was. I have a theatrical background and I never envisaged myself walking down the aisle in white, creme, ivory or shades of these. I really wanted to wear pale pink. The problem for me was finding the style of dress in the colour I wanted, however nothing appealed me.
Designer Wedding Dresses
If you have been looking at wedding gowns already, you have probably noticed that they are everywhere; in all shapes, sizes, colours with varying price tags to match. It seemed the dresses I really loved had very big price tags to match and just out of principal, I did not want to spend $5000-$10,000 on a dress I would only wear once.
I found a dress by an American designer on the net which I loved and when I inquired about price, I found out it was going to cost around $6000 to have it made and send to Australia. So I decided I would challenge myself by getting a local dressmaker to make my dream dress in the exact colour I wanted and for half the price!
When having your dress made you have two choices. Firstly, you can approach bridal gown stores that can create your dress or secondly, find a dressmaker who works from their own home studio. I found the latter to cost around half the price of what a store would have charged me.
How To Find The Right Dressmaker For Your Wedding Dress
These are the initial things I did to prepare before I even started visiting dressmakers.
Start Sketching (Even If You Can’t Draw)
I started to sketch my version of the dress and drew what type of neck line, bodice, and skirt I wanted. Dressmakers can get a good idea of what you want when they see something on paper. They are visual people and can then redraw the sketch using their skills to make sure you both are on the same page.
Take Photos Of The Type Of Dress You Want
I also took photos of the dress that I really liked. This is really important if there is a lot of detail in the dress. If you can enlarge the picture, this is even better as this helps the dressmaker determine necessary construction details. This is crucial so the finished gown sits the way you envisaged and has the same design flow to it.
Look For Dressmakers In Easy Proximity To You
Remember that you will need to make several visits to the dressmaker for fittings. This is generally happening when you are also organising other components of the wedding and it is a very busy time – make no mistake of that! The dressmaker is the one person who you will see the most in terms of wedding service providers, so make sure you are happy with where their location is.
Start Calling And Making Appointments
I put aside 2 weekends and made appointments to see potential dressmakers on Saturday. The average time for this initial meeting will be around an hour. There are a lot of things to discuss and you should allow for an hour. If you are unsure of certain elements of your gown, ask for their opinion and see if you like the ideas they are presenting. You need to feel comfortable with the dressmaker and also in their work environment. If you are unsure of anything, ask them at this meeting. You are interviewing dressmakers who will be creating the gown for one of the most important days of your life.
Here are the essential questions to ask a dressmaker.
